Kore White scored 18 points to lead Florida Atlantic to a 61-59 victory over Mississippi State on Tuesday night.
The Owls (4-4) hit 23 of 54 shots from the floor and earned seven points off Bulldogs turnovers.
Mississippi State (4-1) hit a season-low three 3-pointers and missed several crucial free throws late in the game to finish 12 of 18 from the line.
Florida Atlantic only turned the ball over four times and got 18 points off its bench in its first win over a Southeastern Conference team.
White was 7 of 14 from the field with eight rebounds.
Brett Royster and Greg Gantt added 12 points each for the Owls.
The Bulldogs opened the game on a 13-3 run and led 35-29 at the half. Florida Atlantic used a 10-0 run to take a 48-45 lead midway through the second half, but the two teams exchanged the lead several times in the final 3 minutes.
Mississippi State, playing without projected starters Dee Bost and Renardo Sydney due to NCAA suspensions, had several chances to tie or take the lead late.
After converting a contested shot in the lane, Kodi Augustus missed a potential game-tying free throw with 31 seconds left and the Bulldogs trailing 60-59. After a defensive stop, guard Brian Bryant missed the front end of a one-and-one with 9.4 seconds remaining and two more free throws in the game's final moments.
Mississippi State again had the ball with .3 seconds remaining, but Augustus failed to convert a tip-in as time expired.
Ravern Johnson scored 18 points to pace Mississippi State while Augustus added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Elgin Bailey chipped in 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
